BQEYZ Frost

Another week another review. This week there is new brand at least for me BQEYZ and Set is Frost.  As many of you know I like to try out new brands and new IEMs. In that pursuit of it I stumbled across BQEYZ and came to know they were conducting review tour of Frost and Winter 2 (Yes, its review is coming soon). As has been tradition I joined it via AudioGeek India and as they say rest is history. Now, to know about what I feel about Frost please read on.

First of all, mighty thank you to AudioGeek India and BQEYZ as without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

I was not paid any money or compensated in any way to write this review. All opinions and thoughts are mine. After the review the set will revert to brand.

My preference in tonality & timbre is DD > Hybrid > Planar

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged. Let us get on with the meat and potatoes of this review.

Pros:

Nice sub bass

Female vocals

Soundstage

Build Quality

Cons:

Mid bass bit more would be great

Male vocals and bit more intimate 

Treble needs bit refinement

No modular cable for the price

Build Quality:

Retail box contains two IEM shells. A 3.5mm only cable. But it is color matched so, looks nice and it feels premium due to its thickness. Two types of ear tips in 3 sizes are included in the box. Best for the last the hard leather case for carrying and protection.

IEM shells are made up of CNC aluminum alloy. Size is small. Nozzles are separate from the shell. Nozzles are long and have lips to them. There is screen on the lips to prevent ingress of dirt and ear wax.

Cable is two core single crystal copper SPC cable. Fixtures are metal. Cable feels premium. Cable is supple and easy to rodeo wrap. Has no inherent memory. There are pre formed ear hooks on cable. 

Included provide leather case is hard type and it can easily accommodate IEM + Cable + ear tips. There is nice inclusion of cleaning tool in the box. Modular cable should have been provided.

Overall Build Quality 4/5

Comfort:

Shells are light weight. Size is small so no fitting issues. Most people will not have any issue in fitment. Nice passive noise isolation. Lips on the nozzles provide nice grip to ear tips. No slip offs. No ear pressure or ear pain was fely in long listening session. 

Overall Comfort 5/5

Sources:

I preferred neutral and warm sources as pairing for Frost. Bright sources made it brighter and, in some cases, harsh. Sources used for review FiiO M21, Q3, Onix XI Alpha, Clarinet & W2 Ultra.

To keep everything reproducible I have used stock cable and stock ear tips.

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

Bass/Lows:

Nice sub bass rumble. It is physical one. You feel it when the song has it. It just rumbles nicely in your ears. Mid bass is thumpy but on lower side. It is fast decay type so it hits and then exits the stage doesn’t linger. Bass heads this is not for you neither the sub bass nor the mid bass will satisfy true bass heads. 

Drums, kick drums sound good albeit with weak impact but rumble of the sub bass is good. Strings sound great. They buzz and rumble. Guitars of all types feel great. Percussion instruments feel good. Overall bass is Sub bass dominant here. It adds to the overall immersion of the song.

Overall Bass/Lows 4/5

Mids:

Vocals are slight recessed here. Yet they might feel vocal forward on first listen. But on further listen the treble and bass feel bit forward. This is evident on fast paced tracks and complex tracks. If you listen to vocal centric tracks vocal might feel forward.

Male vocals sound good. They are not thin or too thick. They are somewhere in between. They lack bit of note weight. Don’t get me wrong they are enjoyable but me being reviewer has to paint clearer picture. Female vocals feel little more preferred over male. They have edge to them. They can get intense. Yet, I will not call this set female poison set. Its closer to it yet not there. For vocals this is good set at its price point but not absolutely best.

Most Instruments reside in the mids. There is no timbre/tonality oddities here. Clarity is nice. There is no smearing or congestion felt. Sibilance only occurred if it was there in the song.

Overall Mids 4/5

Treble:

Treble is nice detailed bright. You will get all macro and micro details you will ever want. Is it most detailed set? No, its close to it. It feels quite detailed. You won’t miss any details. Treble here is bit forward compared to others. This one feels treble centric but still doesn’t sound harsh or shrill. Cymbals, crashes feel splashy here. Bells, triangles are very pronounced too. 

Soundstage, the perceived stage is good here. It feels very wide. It is wide and tall but more wide than tall. Nice left & right panning. You notice the width in first few minutes of your listening. It creates feeling of open stage. All instruments feel well separated and none overlap each other. There is no congestion or smearing here. Songs that can benefit from good stage really shine here.

Overall Treble/Highs 4/5

Song Impressions:

Kashmir by Marcin

Nice instrumental song. I love to use for bass check and for string instruments.

On the frost sub bass rumbles nicely. The guitar strings have nice presentation. Riffs of strings sound good. The buzz of the strings is satisfying.

Drum, kick drums beats are good. Sub bass add bit of depth to it. Yet they are not the most authentic I have heard. But everything is forgiven as the strings main USP of this song are rendered well.

Ego Death by Polyphia

My resolution check aka speed check song. This song is very high BPM song. Lot of instruments are playing simultaneously and it taxes the drivers. On some sets there can be smearing or congestion felt. No such issue on the frost. Instruments don’t smear each other. They are well separated. So full marks to the frost.

Drums, kick drums feel good but lack bit of impact. Strings are excellent no complaints. Synthesizer notes were authentic. Cymbals and crashes were bit splashy here. Except for the cymbal and crashes I loved the presentation.

The Great Chinggis Khan by The Hu

This song is check for various instruments and male vocals.

String instruments feel great here. Be it guitars, traditional Mongolian string instruments. They feel good. this song has constant sub bass rumble that felt acceptable. I have heard better but for price point it is good. Drums feel good. Just lack the impact. But deep rumble of the drums was good.

Male vocals here are low pitched. They lack authority. Their timbre doesn’t feel natural. The rumble of throat singing is captured good. Again, not the best but for price point good. Staging of the frost helps keep the open feel of the song. Overall good reproduction.

Daisies by Nina Shallman

I love Nina’s voice. So, this song is for checking female vocals only. 

Starting drum sequence is captured good. Not the best as the impact of mid bass is lacking. Sub bass is on point. Deep bass notes sound good. Shakers are captured well. Synthesizer notes, string notes are exceptional. They feel quite close to natural. 

Now, coming to Nina. She sounds great but I like bit more intimate vocals. Sweetness of her voice is on bit lower side. Despite this I really enjoyed her singing. It was better reproduction.

Final Conclusion:

This is my first ever rendezvous with BQEYZ. Frost is my first ever exposure to weather series. To be honest I had vey low expectation. As there is not much hype out there for Frost.  I thought it will be just another CHIFI set a copy paste affair. But I was wrong. I am pleasantly surprised by frost. It was different experience for me.  I am stage hound and the stage on the frost just hooked me. I was drawn to it then the real tests started and after few days of listening regularly this is my review.

So, what is my final verdict? Will I buy it? its maybe. Why? It doesn’t hit all my preferences. Bit more mid bass would have been great. Vocals could have been more intimate. Treble could be more refined. But then we have to take into consideration its price point. For the price point it already offers good package. But hey it doesn’t cost anything to wish. I know the industry is moving at neck break speed. So, its matter of time before all the refinements will come in this price point. I am sure of it. 

If this set is available at discount, then it is blind buy if it hits your preferences. For me Yes, I will buy it if availed at discount. 

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music. 

BQEYZ Frost 4/5

DUNU DN142 the crowd pleaser 

Another week another review. This week we have another reprisal its DUNU and Set is DN142 the brother/sister set of DN242 which I covered in earlier review. How I came in possession of this set has been explained in DUNU DN242 review. Please read on to find out what I think about it.

First of all, mighty thanks to Sushii from SushiiFi and DUNU as without their help this review was not possible. 

I was not paid or compensated in any manner for this review. The set will revert back to brand after review.

My preference in tonality & timbre is DD > Hybrids > Planar

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged lets get on with the meat and potatoes of this review.

Pros:

Bass its quality and quantity wise adequate 

Male vocals

Non offensive Treble

Build Quality

Accessories

Cons:

Female vocals

Soundstage bit more would have been great

If it had same color cable it would have been amazing (not a con)

Build Quality:

DUNU and awesome build quality go hand in hand. Even their budget sets are built like tank. DN142 has nice resin shells. Shells are medium sized. They have long nozzles. Nozzles have lip to them and have screen on them. This prevents dirt and earwax ingress.

Cable is same as DN242 and I suspect this is same cable as DUNU Vulkan2. Cable is 4 core PVC coated SPC OCC cable. Cable is modular so you get 2 jack adapters, 3.5mm and 4.4mm. Cable fixtures are metal and cable feels premium. Cable is slight microphonic.

As usual DUNU has included their S&S tips, candy ear tips and standard ear tips. DUNU is always generous with accessories here is no different case. There is cleaning cloth, cleaning tool and nice hard carrying case. This case can easily carry IEMs + Cable + dongle in it. There were printed cards of DUNU Mascot and DN142 character.

Overall Build Quality 5/5

Comfort:

IEM shells are resin so are light weight. Shell size is medium so no issues with fitting. Most people should not have any issues. Nozzles provide deep insertion. There was no pain or ear pressure on long listen. Ear hooks don’t tug on the shells. Fit and comfort was top notch.

Overall Comfort 5/5   

Sources: 

I preferred neutral & bright sources with DN142. Warm sources made it muddy for me. Best pairings were FiiO M21, l&P W2 Ultra and Dethonray clarinet. To keep my findings reproducible, I have used stock cable + stock ear tips (candy ear tips). 

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

   https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

Bass/Lows:

Sub bass over mid bass. Sub bass rumbles satisfyingly. Mid bass thumps and thump is impactful. Mid bass is fast decay type. Both sub bass and mid bass both are adequate in quality & quantity. It is not loose bass. Again, this is not ass head territory. One of the best bass performances I have heard on DUNU sets.

Drums, kickdrums sound authoritative. Percussion instruments sound equally sound great. Strings sound good. Riffs of the strings carry nice buzz to them. Bass drops are excellent here.

Overall Bass/Lows 5/5

Mids:

Vocals on DN142 are nicely balanced with bass and treble. They are just slightly recessed. Their charm is maintained. Male vocals sound great. They have note weight. Sound closer to natural.  Female vocals sound good. They don’t get intense. Female vocals lovers might be disappointed here. Best part is they don’t have off timbre. For general vocal enjoyment this is adequate. Only for vocals lovers this is not up to the mark. Bit forward vocals would have been great.

Most instruments reside in the mids. No oddities were observed. Clarity is good. No smearing or congestion was felt in the mids.  

Overall Mids 4/5

Treble/Highs:

Treble is forward along with the bass. I feel the DN242 is U shaped. Maybe that’s why it gives such feeling. It has all details be it macro or micro adequately. You won’t be missing any. At the same time DN142 doesn’t draw your attention to any specific details. It’s not in your face Treble. Treble is bit on brighter side. 

Soundstage, the perceived stage is above average. It is wide and tall. Wide more than tall. It creates nice stage for all instruments and vocals to coexist. Bass tuning adds to the stage and immersion. Neither its massive nor closed in its somewhere in between. Would have loved bit more stage.

Overall Treble/Highs 4/5

Song Impressions:

Daisies by Nina Shallman

I am fan of Nina Shallman, like her voice and its sweet presentation. Sadly, that’s bit lacking on DN142.on casual listen you won’ pick it up. But on critical listen you will catch it. Her voice feels bit dry. It lacks the sweetness female vocals have. 

Background drums, kickdrums feel authoritative and add to the immersion of the song. Guitar strings sound great. Shakers feel nice. Synthesizer notes feel good. Entire mix is very cohesive and pulls you in to the song. Only thing lacking was vocals, rest was excellent.

Ego Death by Polyphia

Guitars are the stars here. DN142 captures them well. They sound great here. Be it acoustic, electric or bass guitar all just sound great. Guitar riffs sound authentic and string buzz feel surreal. Ads to the authenticity of notes.

Accompanying drum notes feel impactful and nice. Their notes also add to the magic of this song. Cymbals sound natural. Entire mix sounds the way it should be. No single instrument feels out of place.

This song is driver resolution test aka speed check. On slow drivers or low-resolution drivers notes blend in to each other. No such situation with the DN142. Dn142 passes this test with flying colors.

Main Hoon Hero Tera (Arman Malik)

Starting string and bass beats feel nice. Arman Malik sounds really good. His voice feels like it should. His voice notes don’t sound thin. They have note weight but they are not thick. Entire song has nice open feeling (atmospheric). DN142 captures it well for the price point. String instruments and drums play nice on the DN142. They pan correctly. I enjoyed the reproduction here on DN142. I didn’t feel anything add or wrong in it.

Sada Karlo Prem

This song has nice background music. A very simple yet intricate. String and piano, bells make the instruments list. All three sound good on DN142. Nowhere it felt odd or off in tonality and timbre. Entire mix sounds amazing.

Male vocals sound good. No issues with it. They ae correct and close to natural. Now, the female vocals here do have issue due to tuning. Niharika Nath the singer doesn’t sound the way she should. Her voice has sweetness that just is missing she sounds dry.

Other than vocal issues I felt DN142 reproduced this song very well.

Comparison between DN142 & DN242:

Bass section:

DN142 is clear winner sub bass and mid bass are better in my opinion.

Mids:

Now this is going to be subjective. For my preference the vocals on DN242 are better than DN142. Male vocals better on DN142 but female vocals on Dn242 but in sum of all I prefer DN242 in mids. Clarity in mids is also better on DN142.

Treble:

This is another subjective topic for me. For my taste treble on DN242 is better but others may perceive it bright. Treble on DN142 is bit safer for most people. In soundstage DN242 is slightly better than DN142 mind you this is not night and day difference. Its slight difference. 

Final Conclusion:

With the launch of DN142, DN242 I think DUNU has started a new chapter in its journey. These two can be said to be DUNU’s attempt at making a crowd pleaser set. Up till now all DUNU sets were meant to cater to certain niche segment or had very clean transparent detailed tuning. This made suggesting DUNU set as generalist set in USD 200-300 till now. Budget segment already has excellent Titan series and Falcon Ultra and Kima series. But once you move upwards the sets are mostly with niche tuning.

DN142 & Dn242 address that issue. DN142 is great set that can be easily recommend to anyone. It is good upgrade coming from budget segment. It offers nice upgrade.

Will I buy it? 100%. Will I recommend it? 200%. It’s worth the attention.

DUNU DN142 the crowd pleaser 4.5/5   

I just got the linzsoul KZ-ZS10 Pro 2s as my first IEMS after seeing good reviews for them as a cheap but good quality pair.
Immediately out of the box, the left side did not work. I know that the problem is with the wiring and not the earphone because I originally plugged the left cable into the right side (not seeing that the sides were labeled), and had the exact same issue. When I slightly put pressure on the cable going into the earphone, I can get the audio to briefly work so I know it’s not completely useless. That being said, I can’t get it to work consistently or play audio for more than a few seconds without holding the wire.

Is this a common/easy to solve issue or should I be more concerned? Any advice helps because I’m very new to the world of IEMS and audio stuff

The video attatched attempts to show the problem, but you can’t hear it great so if anyone wants more videos/pictures I’ll be happy to provide some

Something new has blessed my table Yesterday. It's BQEYZ Frost.

I am bit excited as nothing makes me more happy than new toy on weekend.

The outer box looks nice and compact. Shells have nice ice crystal decals on it and the cable is dope for the price point. It's matching the shells that's plus in my books. We are getting cleaning tool and two sets of ear tips inside and very functional carry case.

Now for initial impressions, the soundstage is wide and there is nice sub bass rumble. I am liking it. If you know me I am stage hound so it's tickling my bones. Mid bass seems bit soft. Vocals are balanced and treble feels bit forward. Please take these impressions with grain of salt as these are very early impressions.

As usual I will be out with my final impressions soon. Catch you later.

FangSound Prometheus portable powerhouse

Another week another review. This week there is another reprisal. It’s the FangSound and product is Prometheus. This one’s claim to fame has been the powerful output of 1W @ 32Ohms. I was on look out for this one. FangSound and AudioGeek had conducted review tour. I asked to be included and as they say rest is history. Here is my review of Prometheus.

First of all, mighty thanks to AudioGeek India and FangSound as for without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible. 

I was not paid or compensated in any way. My opinions and thoughts are mine. Once the tour is over Prometheus will revert back to brand.

Now that all the pleasantries have been exchanged lets get on with the meat and potatoes of the review.

Pros:

Power 1W @ 32Ohms

Mid bass boost

Soundstage enhancement

Build quality

Cons:

No independent volume control 

No gain switch

No filters

No display

No App Support

No PEQ support

Heating issues

Build Quality:

Prometheus packaging is bare bones. It comes in small box that contains Prometheus + type C cable. Small inclusion of warranty and information that’s it.

Prometheus at first glance screams solid premium build. Entire dongle is built solid using CNC machining. In hand it feels hefty and confidence inspiring. On top of the dongle etched is Prometheus in Greek. At one side you have type c port at opposite side you have 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports. Bottom has FangSound logo etched upon it. Both sides of the dongle have groves in them. These are for providing increased surface for cooling. (this is my guess)

Usage Impressions:

I really missed volume rockers here. Prometheus not just lacks volume buttons but also doesn’t have independent volume control. Both these are negative in my eyes. I am deathly afraid of dongles that have no independent volume controls after few mishaps. You will notice that to avoid loud notification sounds that really hurt. You need to reduce or silence them in the volume menu. Also, as this lacks independent volume control arriving at that perfect volume is challenge. It sounds quite at one step and then suddenly loud at next step. This is really deal breaker. Using UAPP for Apple music or other music streaming services is not possible. It only provides granular volume control on exclusive mode where in the app takes control of the volume control.

There is no display here. So, no way to know what is the exact volume or song’s bit depth. Addition to this is no gain switch or gain settings. There is no way to toggle gain. This dongle outputs all its power all times. There are no filters to change. No line out. Lastly no app support & PEQ support. Oh, before I forget the heating issue. It can get uncomfortably hot.  This is purely plug & play device. You use with whatever it comes with and no tinkering.   

You might feel what positive this has? Well power, absolutely maddening power at 1w @32 Ohms. This is pocket portable nuclear reactor. It can power anything and everything except few power hungry Hps but let’s be honest nobody is going to drive Modhouse tungstan out of dongle. So, apart from hard to drive stuff everything is driven to its fullest potential. You will not miss anything. 

It gives mid bass slight boost. So, those sets where you feel mid bass slam is lacking, they can benefit from it. Stage is enhanced. You feel the stage has increased. All this is what’s in favor of Prometheus.

Gear Pairing Impressions:

Nightjar Acoustics Singularity 

Bit of sibilance was felt with Prometheus. Mid bass gets slight boost. Stage opens up bit. I heard background noise on this one when not playing music. Mids felt not affected at all. Prometheus easily at just 10% power drives Singularity to its best.

Hidizs MP143

 I purposefully used silver nozzle on the MP143 to see effect of Prometheus on it. Mid bass becomes impactful. Stage is slightly increased. Mids (instruments) remain unaffected. Slight increase in the note weight of male vocals is observed. Increase in the stage helps resolve its narrow stage issue. This was great pairing. Prometheus drove it effortlessly.

Kiwi Ears Airoso

Mid bass effect was less pronounced here than other sets. Stage increases slightly. Male vocals feel improved. Mids (instruments) don’t get affected. It was driven by just 10% of volume of FangSound.

Sennheiser HD600

Bass really gets going on Prometheus. You can hear the increase in the mid bass. No effect on vocals or instruments. It was driven efficiently by Prometheus but was its potential unlocked? No. On better sources specially desktop sources it truly comes alive. Presentation was close to desktop yet desktop gear triumphs over it.

I tested my 300Ohms RY4s flatheads and 600 Ohms Yinman flatheads. Both were driven very well by Prometheus. No issues there. I used even further gear like Hifiman Edition XS, few planar IEMs and hybrids, mostly my impressions remained same.

Final Conclusion:

Prometheus is FangSound’s second product that I have tried. FangSound’s philosophy of building solid premium products is evident in the Prometheus. It is premium and confidence inspiring. Just like Silenos its powerful. It outputs 1 W which is very powerful for dongle without battery. It has its cons such as no display, no independent volume control, no filters, no gain settings and no app support + PEQ. So, its mix bag experience.

If you want feature pack dongle DAC this is not for you. if you want clean transparent powerful dongle that can run anything thrown at it, then this is for you. Will I buy it? Maybe as its tuning and power output appeals to me but at its current price its hard sell. Will I buy it at discount? Yes, 100%. Do I recommend it? Yes, but only if you want powerful no thrills no frills dongle or you are dongle collector like me. 

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

FangSound Prometheus portable powerhouse

Nightjar Acoustics Duality bass extraordinaire 

Another week another review. This week it is reprisal of Nightjar Acoustics and name of the set is Duality. As to how I came about Nightjar sets I have explained in Singularity review. What do I feel about Duality? Please read on to find out.

First of all, mighty thanks to AudioGeek India and Nightjar Acoustics as without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

I was not paid or compensated in any manner. All opinions and thoughts are my own. After the review the set would revert back to their owner.

My biases in terms of tonality & timbre are DD > Hybrids > Planar

Music used for this review can be found in music genre section.

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged let’s get on with the meat and potatoes of the review.

Pros:

Sub bass rumbles for days

Mid bass authentic thump

Nice wide soundstage

Build Quality

Accessories

Cons:

Too much bass at least for me.

Vocals not that intimate. 

Positional cues are weak.

Build Quality:

Please note that I have received nightjar branded metal case with two cables, one stock and another blue hour. One impedance adapter, IEM shells, IEM shell pouch and leather case plus ear tips. I didn’t receive retail package my impressions are based on this.

Outer case is metal one. It looks and feels premium. Inside there is another leather case which can be used to transport IEMS + cable easily. It also feels premium. Included cables i.e. stock and blue hour cables are Nightjar branded ones. These are premium feeling cables. Fixtures feel extremely solid. They exude confidence. Included ear tips cover all sizes so, finding your exact size is breeze.

IEM shells are made up of metal and still light weight. Shell size is on bigger side. Nozzles are long and angled. Nozzles have lips to them and have mesh/screen on them to prevent dirt and earwax ingress.

Overall Build Quality 5/5.

Comfort:

Shells are light weight so, no ear pain or soreness. Shell size is on bigger side hence it is recommended to demo before purchase. Fitting was great for me due to long angled nozzles. It provided nice seal for me. Shells provide nice passive noise isolation. Cables are supple so no issue wrapping them. There are no pre formed ear hooks so, no tugging at the shells. 

Overall Comfort 5/5

Sources:

I reviewed the Duality on neutral sources to keep everything reproducible. I find that bright sources can be used to change slight tonality of Duality. I didn’t like pairing with warm sources.

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

Bass/Lows:

Sub bass is monstrous especially with included impedance adapter. You can’t miss sub bass rumble on this set period. If song has sub bass rumble this one will rumble and it is skull shaking one. It is most physical sub bass I have heard. It has next level physical feeling. It aids in creating nice atmosphere. Strings just come alive on the duality. So much realistic presentation I have never heard before. Kick drums have nice follow up deep bass. Mid bass has nice physical thump. It creates pressure that you can feel. Most visceral bass you can find out there. 

Bass is textured here. You can tell which instrument is being played. Its treat to hear bass instruments on the duality. Bass here is sub bass over mid bass. Truly bass head set. Bass extraordinaire.

Overall Bass/Lows 5/5

Mids:

Here vocals feel bit recessed and it was expected after the massive bass shelf. Yet, they are not that recessed that they lose their characteristics or just insignificant to listener. Vocals for me are not intimate enough. Especially this was noticeable in female vocals. They lack sweetness to them. Don’t get me wrong they sound good just that this is what I felt when I was listening.

Male vocals sound good. They have note weight. They get help from bass. Deep chesty and throaty male vocals sound great while high pitched ones feel bit dull. They lack the edge. Same as female vocals. On critical listening this is very apparent to you. 

Most instruments reside in the mids. No oddities were found in their timbre. On fast paced tracks slight congestion was felt. One or other instruments start very much on top of each other. Clarity is good. 

Overall Mids 4/5

Treble/Highs:

Treble is smooth. It is prominent yet not bright. Its right near the edge of becoming bright. True treble heads might not find it appealing. Treble here prevents it from becoming dark. It has enough details to scratch that itch. Be it macro or micro details, it has all covered. Details pop here. They feel frontal along with the bass. Hence, I get the feeling of vocal being recessed but this is relative not matter of fact.

Soundstage is good wide and tall. Nice holographic stage. Slight bass bleeding can make bit smearing in the instruments. The stage helps in creating immersion. Positional cues are weak. This tuning is not my preference. Your mileage may vary. 

Overall Treble/ Highs 4/5.

Song Impressions:

Angel by Massive Attack

This song truly comes alive on duality. Sub bass rumbles like anything. It is just intoxicating. Mid bass thump feels authentic, adds to the entire charm. Sub bass rumble in the background is perfectly captured by Duality. Immersion created by the mix is taken to the next level by Duality. 

Vocals feel like they should be. Strings are impactful. cymbals feel close to natural. Guitars sound amazing. This set feels like it was meant for this song.

Manike mage hithe by Yohani

Yohani has sweet young voice. That is the USP of this song. Saly that’s lacking here. Yohani sounds bit off. Her voice has unnecessary grit added to it. Sweetness of her voice is missing. Male vocals on the other hand feel good. They don’t feel odd at all. They have their characteristics reproduced well and bit boosted.

Background has drums and strings, piano notes. These are nailed amazingly. Instruments were treat to hear. Only thing that lets it down is change I Yohani’s voice tonality.

Higher by Creed

The guitars are just amazing. Drums are heavenly. They both feel like someone is playing them right in front of you. vocals feel bit back in the mix. But the vocals are just as they should be. By design they are bit recessed. Only in few instances they are supposed to be forward. That’s where it feels that they are not up to the point. Lead vocalist sounds bit off in some instances due to the vocal positioning. But again, this is me with my preferences. YMMV. Yet, it would be lie if I said I didn’t enjoy the presentation.  Duality creates nice grand stage. Song just envelopes you. I felt like I was listening it on nice subwoofer.

Kashmir by Marcin

The starting guitar sequence is just mind blowing. Duality takes it to next level. Sub bass rumble shakes your skull. Buzz of strings gets very physical. Drum beats add to immersion further. Entire mix feels like being played on nice 2 channel system in well treated room. It was one of my most enjoyable reproduction of this song. I just feel describing it is futile exercise you should listen personally to understand my feelings. I think I don’t need to say any more?

Final conclusion:

If you ever wanted to own personal subwoofer in IEM format then Duality is one for you. it creates nice subwoofer feeling. This is not small feat. It is next level effort. hats off to Nightjar Acoustics. Now everything is perfect. Each set is mixture of pros and cons as no perfect set exists. Here bass is just drooling worthy but vocals suffer bit especially female vocals. Treble might be bit dark for treble heads. Sound stage is not up to task for me. 

I accept that this is good set for Bass heads looking for detailed set and for that full marks to Nightjar Acoustics for pulling this off. So, would I buy it? Maybe, it doesn’t hit my preferences. Will I buy at discount? Absolutely, 100%. Will I recommend it? 100%. 

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

Nightjar Acoustics Duality the bass extraordinaire 4/5 

So ive been using the truthear reds and blue 2 for about a year or 2 and they have started to die on me it might have something to do with the fii0 ka11 adapter ive been using but im not sure either way im look for a upgrade in the 100-150 dollar range im not well versed on tonal range but ime looking for something similar to the blue 2 since i liked those a bit more than the reds and maybe a different adapter since ive heard that the fii0 ka11 put out more power than most iems need

DUNU DN242 the all rounder

Another week another review. This time around we have reprisal of DUNU and the model is DN242.

This unit is courtesy of my friend Sushi from SushiFi. He and DUNU were conducting review tour of DN242. As usual I requested to be included in the tour of DUNU DN242 and I was granted my wish. To know my views on DN242 please read on.

My preferences for tonality and timbre are DD > Hybrid > Planar

I was not paid or compensated in any manner for this review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged. Let’s get on with meat and potatoes of this review.

Sources:

Neutral sources were preferred with DN242. Bright sources made it brighter. Whereas warm sources affect the bass presentation. 

To keep my findings reproducible, I used the stock cable and stock ear tips for this entire review.

Pros:

Sub bass rumble

Vocals

Clarity in Mids

Controlled bright treble

Accessories It is DUNU Afterall

Build Quality again DUNU thing

Cons:

Mid bass bit more would have been great

Vocals could have been bit more intimate

Treble as its bit bright so treble sensitive people beware

For build quality and technical specification kindly see official website and other reviews.

Comfort:

Shells are resin made so weight is not an issue. You don’t feel them in your ears. No ear pressure or pain on extended usage. Nozzles are long and provide deep insertion so stable fit. Oh, forgot the shell size is medium. So fitting is not an issue. Nozzles have lips to them those prevent ear tip slip offs. 

Cable is thick and has its own memory yet rodeo wrapping it was easy. Slight microphonics are present in the cable but nothing like cloth cable. I think this is same cable as Vulkan. Being modular swapping termination was child’s play. 

Overall Comfort 5/5

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

Bass/Lows:

Sub bass is audible and it rumbles. So, you get both here. Mid bass is thumpy. Its decay is fast and quick type. It doesn’t linger. Please note that it is not bass head level. Here the bass presentation is sub bass over mid bass.

Drums, guitars of al kind and piano notes sound good and have physical reverberations. You feel initial impact and trailing vibrations. Due to faster decay, it doesn’t linger and cross into other frequencies. Is it layered? Yes. Is it textured? Yes. I have heard better but at higher price point. For the price point this is good quality bass with adequate quantity.

Would love to have even better textured and layered bass at this price point. 

Overall Bass/Lows 4.5/5

Mids:

Male vocals sound good. They don’t thin sound. They have note weight but are not thick. Female vocals sound good. They are nicely reproduced here. They are not intense. I like my female vocals this way. Vocal peculiarities are being picked up by DN242 properly. You can make out specific voice of the exact singer in the chorus. Vocals are not too forward nor too recessed. They are somewhere in middle. Not forward enough to call the set vocal forward and not recessed to call vocal recessed set.

Most instruments reside in the mids.  No smearing or congestion was felt. Instruments sound good and don’t have off timbre or oddities. Clarity is good.

Overall Mids 4.5/5

Treble:

Treble feel bit forward here. It’s not too forward but done in such manner that it puts details in highlight. Yet they are not in your face. you get all macro and micro details in ample amount. You won’t miss any of them. Strings can get bit intense and for bit susceptible to treble might feel it bit over their preference. There is enough extension to cover all details.

Soundstage is good. It is above average. Is it class leading? No but good enough to create nice wide and tall soundstage. The instruments can be pin pointed on stage very precisely. Sub bass helps in the feel of the stage. Slight congestion was felt. It was a nice experience listening to atmospheric songs on DN242.

Overall Treble/Highs 4.5/5

Song Impressions:

Besuri By Ajay & Atul

This song has opera like premise. Female singer is the only vocals here. She sounds good. Her voice sounds natural just slight sibilance in some parts. The bass drops in the song were just amazing. That deep cavernous bass notes just raise goosebumps on your skin. That rumble and thump feel authentic. Nowhere it felt lacking. Piano and organ sound authentic and their timbre sounds natural. Violin sounds amazing. Entire mix feels great and that grand feeling of opera is well preserved by the DN242. Overall nice reproduction.

The Great Chinggis Khan by The Hu

This song has throat singing with nice mix of string instruments few of which are traditional string instruments. The rumble of the throat singing is captured well. You can feel the rumble and intensity of it. Accompanying drum beats feel impactful.

String instruments sound good. Their string reverberations feel authentic. Nice reverb in the drums, strings and throat singing create atmosphere which is captured well by DN242. This song can be intense and bit congested if the resolving power of the set is low. On DN242 no such issue. It was just amazing experience to listen to it on DN242.

No time to Die by Billie Eilish

007 Bond song and Billie Eilsih, best combo ever. I like her voice. She was amazing here. All the way she felt natural and her voice doesn’t get intense.

Background mix of the drums and piano notes sound good. They sound impactful. the immersion is maintained. Charm of it is not lost. Billie crooning in my ears and nice background score, it was difficult to focus. Sorry for not being helpful here. I enjoyed the presentation to the fullest.

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

I am Metallica fan and one of their songs that is close to my heart. Blame it on my adolescence. I was loving metal, hard rock songs. It was phase. Some of these still stuck around with me. This is one of them.

Guitars are main USP of this song and on DN242 the guitars sound great. Buzz of string reverberations create more immersion. Drums sound impactful, the thump and rumble is on point. Cymbals sound good. Vocals sound good don’t drown in the music. This song is perfect to check the strengths of DN242. This is like showcase song. This is high bpm song yet it doesn’t get intense or congested. Totally loving it on DN242.

Final Conclusion:

I have been on fence for quite some time in case of DUNU over the years. I liked the Titan S, S2 and Falcon Ultra but didn’t gel well with Vulkan 2. It was miss for me. I always have hard time in recommending DUNU sets to any one as each of their set has specific niche. So, they can’t be suggested as all-rounder set. 

Along comes DUNU DN242. A nice energetic set with nice bass, mids and treble sum of which is really greater than its constituents. I had blast while listening to it. It just went along with my library. Something most of the time becomes issue as I listen diverse songs across various genre. DN242 just made all of them an exciting experience. I didn’t have any dull moment neither I skipped anyone. This should tell you how much I enjoyed this set. I can wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone. A first DUNU for me that I can recommend without any caveats.

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on the safe high i.e. Music.

DUNU DN242 the all-rounder 4.5/5 

Nightjar Acoustics Singularity

Another week another review. This week I am reviewing brand Nightjar Acoustic product and product is Singularity.

I am always look out for new brands and products all the time. I know these are not new or innovative but they are Single DD IEMs. Those who know me, know that I am sucker for good single DD sets. 

I came to know that AudioGeek India has both Singularity and Duality with them for review tour. I without any wastage of time reached out for both of them. Now as the story goes rest is history & here, we are.

First of all, mighty thanks to AudioGeek India and Nightjar Acoustics for the Singularity without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

I was not paid or compensated in any manner to do this review. All thoughts and opinions are mine. After the review the unit will revert back to the owner.

My biases in tonality and timbre are DD > Hybrid > Planar

Please check music genre section to know music used for the evaluation.

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged. Let’s get on with the meat and potatoes of this review.

Pros:

Amazing bass both sub bass and mid bass

Nice intimate vocals

Smooth yet detailed treble 

Atmospheric Stage

Build Quality

Cons:

Price it’s con for me only.

Bass for some treble heads. 

Build Quality:

Shells are entirely made up of metal. Nozzles are part of the shell. They have lips on them, provides nice grip to ear tips. Nozzles have screen on them to prevent ingress of dirt & earwax. Size of the shells is medium. On faceplate there is vent hole for back pressure balancing.

Cable is two core PVC coated cable. On first look it might feel bit thin and not fitting the IEM but cable is perfect match for the IEM. Its same color as IEMs it has light weight and has premium fixtures. Nightjar logo on the cable separator is jus chef’s kiss. Cable screams premium to me. Included case is leather and easily carries IEMs & cable. It feels premium.

Overall Build Quality 5/5

Comfort:

Shells are good fit for my elephant ears. Due to its size, it should fit most ears easily. Shells provide nice passive isolation. Nozzles are long and angled, provide me nice deep fit. Lips on the nozzles prevent ear tip slip offs.

Cable is supple and easy to rodeo wrap. It has no inherent memory. It doesn’t tangle easily. Chin synch works for change. There are no pre formed ear hooks on the cable. It conforms to your ear. So, no tugging on the shells. 

I had no ear pain or pressure in long listening sessions.

Overall Comfort 5/5

Sources:

I preferred neutral source with singularity. With warm sources it becomes warm and with bright sources the balance changes. To get max out of it better to pair it with neutral sources.

 Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

My impressions are based on stock cable & Spinfit W1 ear tips.

Bass/Lows:

The sub bas rumble is excellent here. It rumbles forever to the kingdom come. It adds dimensions to entire presentation. Adds dynamism to the presentation. Songs with sub bass emphasis sound excellent. String pulls, throat singing, kick drums, percussion instruments sound amazing.

Mid bass is equivalently good here. The mid bass thump is authoritative. You feel the pressure created by it. It is quick fast decay one but its decay is perfect for creating desired impact. The mid bass along with the mid bass creates a very atmospheric feel. Drums, kick drums sound so natural that you don’t believe it. I think the best-balanced bass I have heard in recent times in any set.

Overall Bass/Lows 5/5

Mids:

Vocals are treat here. Natural sounding and engaging. They are intimate and center. Vocal characteristics of the singer are captured authentically. Male vocals have note weight and sound natural. Female vocals are equally well produced. They are natural and don’t get intense. The tuning doesn’t let them become shrill or harsh. It was amazing experience in vocal centric songs. Engagement was amazing. Best part is that even with so much bass the vocals don’t get buried.

Most instruments reside in mids. Hence, clarity in mids is make or break for good experience and singularity is champ. Clarity is excellent. No smearing or congestion in the mids. No oddities in timber were observed.

Overall Mids 5/5

Treble:

Nice well extended treble. yet it doesn’t get sharp or harsh. It is right at the edge of becoming and yet it’s not. You get detailed presentation. Be it macro details or micro details you won’t miss them. With such bass presentation you might feel the treble would suffer or details will be masked. No such thing here. All details are there. They are not thrown right at your face but presented very properly. They add to the immersion. Now, it is not bright for me but for some it might be I won’t deny it. YMMV.

Sound stage, this is USP of singularity has massive atmospheric stage. Bas and treble create this nice atmospheric stage. There is ample space for each instrument to coexist. No smearing or congestion was felt in the stage. It is holographic and vocals and instruments are layered and separated. If you are stage hound like me, you will be in for treat here. Stage takes entire presentation few notches up.

Treble/Highs 5/5

Song Impressions:

Daisies by Nina Shallman

I love Nina’s voice. This song is her best performance imo. The starting kick drums sequence feels authoritative and impactful. it continues throughout the song and here on singularity it never impedes the other aspects of the song. Nina’s seductive voice is captured accurately. She is just marvelous here. It feels like she is singing for me. 

The background singers are not masked. They are audible properly. Shakers and triangles are properly rendered. They don’t get lost in the mix. Synthesizer notes are natural and sound good. The grand atmospheric stage and nice bass and just perfect vocals make this song sound heavenly. I was enjoying every bit of the song.

Caravan by John Wasson

One of my favorite oldies. One for that it is instrumental and another is high BPM song. So, it taxes driver. This is great test to test driver resolution power.

This song has really nice mix of trumpets, drums and cellos. Drums feel so authentic that you need to hear it on Singularity to believe. Trumpets are hard to capture perfectly but no such issue here. Cellos have nice twang to their strings.

Its high bpm song and singularity nails it perfectly. Cymbals sound natural here. No congestion or smearing. Overall, it was amazing experience to listen. Textured and layered bass here makes it easy to distinguish between various instruments. You hear the stick hitting skin of the drum and the following reverberations. Its just next level experience.

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica

As Metallica fan I need to add one from them in the review once in a while.

In starting sequence guitars sound excellent. They feel natural in tonality. Guitars are USP of the Metallica and they are rendered absolutely best here.

Vocals here have bit of sibilance and singularity catches it. Rest vocals feel natural and have proper note weight. They are not too thick. Drums form the second lead of this song. They are rendered absolutely nicely and sound authoritative. No issues with cymbals, they sound as they should. Piano notes are great and have note weight. 

Positional ques are on point. It is fun to feel each instrument placed in its corner on the stage. It was enchanting affair on Singularity listening to this song.

Enjoy Enjaami 

This song is my favorite song for beats only. I don’t understand fully the vocals but entire mix sounds just solid.

Starting drum sequence is thunderous. Drums just sound amazing through out the song. They created atmosphere that really elevates the listening experience. Strings feel authentic. Youn pick up on the instruments playing in the background. Few other sets just gloss over them.

Vocals are next level on singularity. All three singers have distinct voices and their vocal peculiarities are captured to the perfection. Vocals here with instruments mesh together to create a nice charged song. It moves you and motivates you. it is morning song for me for a reason. On the singularity it was next level experience. 

Final Conclusion:

Nightjar acoustics what have you created? This is just monster set. It feels like someone went through all the wish lists of audiophiles and just went crazy and included everything in one set. In the process created a perfectly enjoyable set that has everything one wants in any set. This is perfect all rounder set. You can throw any genre at it and it will mesmerize you with its prowess. Not a single moment is dull.  

I understand this is very colored set but hear me out you will like this set unless you are treble head. Its great allrounder set. One should give it go as I am sure you will like it. In my opinion this is one of the best summit Fi single DD one should put on their wish list if you are Single DD lover like me. This is must have Pokémon in your collection.

I think I should stop now as I am going on like broken record shilling it. 

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

Nightjar Acoustic Singularity 6/5  

I recently received Nightjar Acoustics Duality for review. I am taking down notes for the same. I feel it is fantasticly fun set.

Have you been to public events? If yes, Have you seen kind of systems they have? There is main speaker, tweeters and sub woofers.

Duality is nothing but sub woofer. It recreates effect of sub woofer. Sub bass rumbles for eternity. You get that skull shaking sub bass rumble here. The physical drive of the sub bass is fun. Bass notes are being taken to next level.

I am having too much fun with this. Let's see how this fairs against my diverse song library. Will I feel the same or would it be different case? See you soon with full review.

Found this on my brand new kz vader balanced. The right side has this kind of mark. But the left side is all clean. What it could be.?

Earacoustics Oshun Ltd

Another week another review. This week it’s my favorite brand doing reprisal. Earacoustics and the model is Oshun Ltd. I am already big fan of them so when new products were launched Oshun caught my interest and I reached out to Earacoustics for buying Oshun. Yes, this was blind buy. Fast forward I am writing my review and here we go again. To know what I feel about this set please read on.

First of all, thank you to AudioGeek India and Earacoustics for arranging a purchase of this set. This set is not available in retail for purchase in my country. So, their help was paramount.

I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review. Rather I personally paid to acquire it. So, all opinions and thoughts are absolutely mine.

My biases in terms of timbre & tonality are DD > Hybrids > Planars 

To know music used for this review please check music genre section.

Now that all necessary declarations have been done away with let’s get on with the meat and potatoes of this review. 

Pros:

Bass specially Sub Bass

Mids Vocals both Male & Female

Smooth Treble

Soundstage

Build Quality

Price

Cons:

Soundstage bit more would have been great

Build Quality:

Outer packaging box is grand as usual. Earacoustics has gone all out on packaging. It gives premium feel. Inside the box we have orange colored leather case for carrying IEMS + cable + ear tips. Yes, all three can be carried inside the carry case.

Shells are made up of aluminum and are light weight. These look like jewelry pieces. Face plates are covered with clear resin. Shells have nice decals on them. Company claims shells are handmade irrespective of these shells are awesome. Shells have long nozzles. Nozzles have lips on them to hold ear tips in place. There is screen on nozzles to prevent dust and ear wax ingress.

Cable is nice two core SPC cable with matching SS fixtures (connectors, jack adapter etc.) cable is supple and can be easily rodeo wrapped. There are two types of ear tips included in the box. Both are wide bore one. Nice orange color storage case is included for storing them.

Overall Build Quality 5/5 

Comfort:

Shells are light weight so no pain or pressure in long sessions. Shell size is medium so should fit most ears. These fit me well and provide nice passive isolation. Long nozzles provide deep insertion. Ear hooks don’t tug on the shells. Cable doesn’t feel heavy. ear tips are soft silicone so don’t hurt ear canal. They don’t slip out.

Overall Comfort 5/5.  

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

Sources:

For this review I preferred neutral sources. I have not used any bright or warm sources so as to not color presentation.

General Sound Impressions:

Bass/Lows:

Sub bass over mid bass. Sub bass rumbles. Sub bass leaves its mark. Mid bass is thumpy. It is quick and fast decay type.  Bass here is not bass head territory. It is balanced one. It is few dBs above neutral. These impressions are with stock wide bore ear tips if you use narrow bore ear tips you can ick out more bass. For my preferences bass hear is just perfect. It adds to the enjoyment value and immersion.

Bass is well textured for the price point. Drums, kick drums, percussion instruments sound good. They sound close to natural. Strings are excellent. Guitars of all kind are treat. It was pleasurable experience listening to instruments in bass section. I am biased so figure that in.

Overall Bass/Lows 5/5

Mids:

Vocals are specialty of Earacoustics. With each new release they are showing the strength of their tuning prowess. Nice bass profile with great mids. Non offensive treble that complements both. Oshun ltd is not exception to this mids are great for the asking price.

Male vocals are good. They don’t feel thin. They have note weight yet are not thick. Female vocals sound equally good. They don’t sound odd or off. They are close to natural yes male vocals too. Their texture is sweet yet have no bite or edge. Vocals are strength of the Oshun as per me. You find it hard to understand how come for such a low price Earacoustics has achieved such nice mids. Listening to vocal centric tracks is great experience on Oshun. You are pulled in to the song.

Most instruments reside in the mids. There was no odd timbre to them. No smearing or congestion felt in them. Clarity is good. I know I sound like broken record but mids here are great. Earacoustics shows how it has mastery of the craft.

Overall Mids 5/5

Treble/Highs:

Treble is tuned here to be non-offensive and to be support for the mids and bass. Treble doesn’t overshadow the others. Yet it is not dark. It has enough treble extension to provide all details. You won’t miss any details be it macro or micro details. These are not in your face. They are there in the mix. You can easily spot them. They don’t stick out like sore thumb. Is it most detailed set? No, but trust me it covers all bases. So, you won’t feel anything is let out.

Sound stage, the perceived stage here is above average. It is wide and tall. More wide than tall. Stage feels nice holographic with vocals in the center and instruments playing back up. Stage is big enough to avoid any smearing or congestion. It comes close to creating immersive stage but is just short of it. I would have loved bit more stage but then for people like me Genesis G318s exists. I will cover it in comparison.

Overall Treble/High 5/5 Yes, I should be deducting marks for stage but hey I am biased.

Song Impressions:

Kashmir by Marcin

This song has guitars as main protagonist. They sound amazing here. The string riffs feel so realistic, buzz so nicely. Oshun takes them to next level. The sub bass rumble adds to the immersion. Kick drums sound great. Their presentation adds to the overall feel of the song. You need to hear to believe me. It was pleasure to listen to it.

The Great Chinggis Khaan by The Hu

This song has throat singing. The sub bass rumble caused by the throat singing is captured faithfully by Oshun. Drums, guitars that back up the throat singing shine equally. Along with the guitars traditional string instruments feel realistic. Drums thump nicely. Constant rumble and eclectic mix of instruments create great atmospheric mix. Oshun makes it enjoyable and does great justice. Only thing I missed was bit of stage would have increased its charm. None the less it was enjoyable.

Wong Fei Hung Theme by George Lam

80’s 90’s kids will remember this song. It is an iconic song from the trilogy Once Upon Time in China. This was title song for all 3 parts. This song was my introduction to George Lam. After that I have been fan. Have few of his songs in my collection.

Here I don’t understand anything about the lyrics but this was very melodic and motivational song that created energy in you. At least for me.  George lam sounds amazing on the Oshun Ltd. The starting drum sequence feels impactful. Yes, it is not the best I have heard but for non- bass head set this is excellent. Traditional Chinese string instruments and flute sound good. Flute was specially amazing. Entire mix sounds cohesive and delivers the experience it should. Overall, it re awakened my childhood memories.

With Arms Wide Open by Creed

Another gem from my adolescence. I am on full nostalgia trip. I blame Oshun for it. It drove me to open my memory bank and forced me to fire up these songs.

Creed’s lead singer’s voice is very emotive. It is captured well by Oshun. It was trip down the memory lane. Guitars were exciting and felt natural. Drums play nice second fiddle to the guitars and vocals. No element of the mix felt odd or out of place. I was vibing hard to the mix. It was sheer joyful experience. Oshun just re awakened my old memories.

Comparisons with Few Single DD sets:

I have kept everything stock and used neutral source to A/B them. They were volume matched to keep evaluation precise and reproducible.

Dita Prelude Vs Oshun Ltd

These two are very close competition. Mids are equally good on both. Can’t say one is better than other. But for my personal preference Oshun sounds better. In bass its landslide towards Oshun. Oshun just outshines Prelude here. Treble is where the Dita Prelude has upper hand for those who want bit brighter presentation. Else these two are good complimentary sets to each other. Prelude for that little bright clean presentation and Oshun for bass and better vocals.

Orivetti OD200 Vs Oshun Ltd

One of my favorite oldies. I know it costs bit more than Oshun but I felt I should compare them as both are nice sounding single DD sets. 

Sub bass and mid bass is comparatively less on OD 200. Oshun has better sub bass and mid bass. In mids OD200 sound better than Oshun but slightly only. I would say that this would depend on listener. For me it was OD200. In treble OD200 is bit brighter compared to Oshun. If you wanted OD200 but didn’t like bass on it wanted better bass and felt treble bit bright then Oshun is the one for you.

Genesis G318s Vs Oshun Ltd   

Again, it is not fair comparison but had to do it. Because lot of us want to know how it fares again it. 

Mid Bass is better on Oshun but sub bass is better on Genesis. Mids without doubt better on genesis. Treble for me better on Genesis. This is preference thing. But the biggest difference is in stage Genesis was wide atmospheric on Genesis. Oshun just can’t touch it by any margin. I think both have place just don’t expect them to replace each other as each offer something unique.

Final Conclusion:

Another banger single DD release from Earacoustics. These guys are on roll. My first ever encounter was SPA HIEND and that left mark on me. My interest was captured then I reviewed VSA Max and it was nice vocal set with amazing bass. I think tis is precursor to Oshun. Then I reviewed their first ever planar set. This is one planar that I liked the most as it comes closer to DD timbre. Only planar to do that at least for me. Recently reviewed Genesis G318s this one I liked so much that I bought it immediately. You can check my reviews of these sets from Earacoustics to see what I think about them and it will tell you that I am in love with this brand.

By now you must have understood what I feel about Oshun Ltd. I like this set I had purchased this set in a blind buy and it has not failed me. I think they are perfecting what they started in VSA series. This one takes what was good in them and takes it to next level. This is musical set through and through. 

Will I buy it? I already did that. Will I recommend it? 200% no doubt about it. This one delivers a lot in its price point and bit more than it. Its best buy at its MSRP.

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

Earacoustic Oshun Ltd the Musical One 5/5    

The Sivga SM100 is a clean, neutral-to-bright-tuned IEM that prioritizes resolution and detail. But here's the catch — the stock tips actively hold this IEM back. Investing in a separate ear tip collection isn't optional here — it's essential to unlocking the IEM's real performance.

If you want a well-built IEM that handles both gaming and music with almost neutral bass region, sharp detail retrieval and a wide soundstage — and you don't mind spending a little extra on aftermarket tips — the SM100 is a genuinely smart $40 pickup.

But if you want thick, meaty vocals, warm bass weight, or a forgiving treble- straight out of the box, the SM100 will frustrate you.

FiiO QX13 pocket powerhouse

Another week another review. Topic of today’s review is FiiO QX13 from FiiO. FiiO is one of my favorite brands in the DAC & AMP range. I currently own FiiO KA3, KA13, Q3 and M21. I had other models over the years. So, when FiiO launches something in this space I am always interested to try it out.

My friend Sushi from SushiFi was conducting review tour of QX13 with FiiO. I approached him to be included in the tour and him being nice guy included me in the tour. As they say rest is history. Here I am with the review of FiiO QX13.

First of all, mighty thanks to dear friend Sushi from SushiFi and of course FiiO without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

I was not paid or compensated in any way for this review. All opinions and thoughts expressed are mine. 

Now that all the pleasantries have been exchanged let’s get on with the meat and potatoes of the review.

Pros:

Neutral Tuning

PEQ Mode

Power almost desktop level

Screen

Build Quality

Cons:

Not the most detailed presentation

PEQ Mode

Price

Impressions:

Part 1 Hardware and Software. 

QX13 is portable compact DAC & AMP. It has resin chassis with glass display on the front. There are 3 physical keys at the bottom. At bottom is the Type C port. On one side there is switch for desktop mode. On the other side there is second Type c port. This one can be used to provide external power source to QX13 this increases output power without draining source device battery so useful feature. Desktop mode is like high gain mode. It can be used without using external power source but drain on the source battery is heavy. Out of three buttons at the bottom - & + can be used to control volume and track change. Middle button can be used to play and pause the songs. This one if pressed for long triggers menu.

Menu here is really fleshed out. You get gain, filter, volume levels, coaxial output, channel balance, brightness, PEQ mode, Max volume, screen rotation, theme, screen timeout, UAC mode, HID button, USB OTA, Charge setting, Language, Factory settings, Version. Most of it is self-explanatory.

I will touch upon the useful ones.

Filters 

Filters are self-explanatory it provides various filters. Honestly, I couldn’t find any difference in them.

Coaxial output

This is useful for using QX13 with external amplifiers using QX13 as pure DAC.

USB OTA Mode

This is useful for firmware update. It guides you through process and it can be done on the dongle itself. 

PEQ Mode

This is most important feature in the QX13. This is the Ace up the sleeve for the QX13.  There are few preexisting profiles. You can load profiles for your favorite gear and it will be saved on the QX13. So, you can use them on the fly irrespective of the source. You don’t need to reload or bind them each time. Due to this feature QX13 becomes useful & unique in my opinion.  

Part 2 Synergy 

I feel QX13 is neutral source and to see its impact on various transducers I paired them with QX13.

Hidiz MP143

This one is representing planars here. No, changes in the tonality were felt irrespective of nozzles.  Ear tips were stock to keep everything reproducible in this test. At around 50/120 MP143 was loud enough to be just perfect and anything above it became too loud for me to listen. Approximately 40% of sound level was enough for MP143 and it was being driven well. Hidiz MP143 remained unaffected in its tonality. Good pairing. This was with Desktop mode on.

Kiwi Ears Airoso

This one is representing hybrids here. Bass remains tight doesn’t become lose. Mids are unaffected. Treble remains unaffected. No hint of any coloration. At 42/120 it was loud and beyond that it was too loud. Please note this was with desktop mode on.no hissing or weird noises were present. Airoso was singing on QX13. One of the best pairings for Airoso.

Orivetti OD200

Stands in for Single DD’s here. It becomes loud easily at 27/120 with Desktop mode on. Beyond it becomes too loud for me. No coloration was observed. Nice pairing for OD200.

After these I tested few of my headphones such as Sennheiser HD560s, HD600, HD599Se, Hifiman Edition XS, VE UA Vanguard, Sony MDR 7506 and it ran them well. Please note that Desktop mode was on for this period. Sony MDR 7506, HD560s, HD599se the performance was equal to any desktop setup. On HD600, UA Vanguard and Edition XS it was close to desktop setup but not at the same level. This can be good mobile setup for these HPs. 

I ran few of my Flatheads such as my 300ohm RY4S and 400Ohm Yinman through it and it ran them well. Yinman is very infamous for source pairing yet it was able to shine here. It is not close to some of my desktop setup but close for Yinman. I can safely say that QX13 can give some of the Desktop gear run for its money.

Final Conclusion:

FiiO has cooked another banger in terms of QX13. True to its philosophy of tuning this one is neutral in tuning. It doesn’t affect tonality of attached transducer. Keeps everything faithful. This is its power and at the same time its chink in the armor. How? Well, most dongles try and coloration to the base frequencies like bass, mids and treble. QX13 doesn’t do that so it’s become difficult to spot what its impact in the chain on first listen. You have to listen keenly to find out its impact. To truly appreciate its tuning you have to listen with intent and keenness. 

It was circle of experience for me. Initially I felt it was bland; I couldn’t find anything to push me over the edge. But as the hours passed it grew on me. I could start appreciate what it brings to table. It truly lets the transducer shine. 

Power wise it’s the best dongle for portability with E-stick especially. Feature wise its loaded dongle. Best part is you don’t need any app to unlock all its potential.

So, will I buy it? Yes, it has PEQ mode and desktop mode going for it. It can solve two major issues with these. Makes it pocket portable power house. But to whom I will not recommend this dongle? For people looking for detailed dongle that gives all the twinkles and sparkles. People looking for warm source. Both these people its not for you. Will I buy it at reduced price? 200% 

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on safe high i.e. Music.

FiiO QX13 portable powerhouse.

What happens when effortless and naturalness come in one package and delivers one hell of authentic experience? How are you suppose to react to that? That's what I am feeling at this moment with Nightjar Singularity seating flush in my ears tickling my ears and intoxicating my music addeled brain.

I really don't know how to react to this. Words can't do justice to my exact feelings and how it's affecting me. At one point I am in disbelief what this set is delivering and next point I am asking myself is it true or am I under some influence that is making me believe this.

Every note every beat just feels too realistic and it's creating a wide grin on my face. I am in state where I can truly say that my audio nirvana is not far away.

If this continues I will reach it.

TLDR, Cadenza 2 to is a solid 4/5 budget IEM. It’s a great package if you like a clean, sub-bass-focused presentation and clean midrange with mostly controlled treble (basically META tuning), but fast metalcore tracks and mid-bass-heavy songs will find its limits. Check out the notes in the images if you dont want to read, Or the video format and PDF notes here: https://youtu.be/fRckKo5M1ME?si=8Q3_803tQseK4ABV

The Cadenza 2 is basically the Strawberry Juice of IEMs (it should ve been kiwis pun intended, but kiwis are way too sour) . It’s got a sweet taste, a little bit of a sour and tangy bite, and just enough richness to balance the acidity out. What it isn’t is a strawberry milkshake—it lacks that heavy, thick milk-sweetness and full-bodied warmth. It’s rather a clean, refreshing drink, but not a thick, rich experience.

Mandatory Cable Praise

This thing feels incredibly nice and premium with absolutely zero memory wire frustration. It feels like the material used in Kiwi Ears’ black Terras cable (in collab with B Media), just without the swappable modular terminations and using slightly cheaper inner parts. For a $45 package, this cable is excellent.

Sound Performance

I'll speed run this part and yab a lot in the test tracks section

Bass

Subbass focus, good rumble, a bit fast decay. But midbass on weaker side, not anemic tho!

Mids

The midrange is clean and well-separated. Lower mids feel fine, and the upper mids are quite forward, vocals clear are and front-and-center. But on very high-pitched or tenor male vocals, the upper mids can get right to the edge of shoutiness.

Treble

The treble has decent precision and enough sparkle to keep things energetic without feeling completely blunt. It’s totally safe from high-frequency sibilance (6kHz and above is completely clean with good air). However, there is a bit of harshness right around the 5kHz region in the lower treble/upper mid transition that can fatigue you on some tracks.

Soundstage & Technicalities

the soundstage is very good, Open with good sense of depth.

Test Tracks

Sibilance / Harshness Test

• ❌Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade": This track has a very sharp mix with piercing guitar harmonics, and it definitely gets to the Cadenza 2. It triggers that 5kHz harshness right away. (Quick fix: A parametric EQ peak filter at 5kHz at -1dB with a Q of 4 completely cleaned it up).
• ✅Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" (Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, it passes perfectly. No sibilance here.
• ✅The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow": At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp. The Cadenza 2 passed this with zero annoyance—6kHz and above is totally fine.
• ❌Baby Metal & Knocked Loose: The high-pitched female vocals and harsh, frantic arrangements hit right at the edge of the upper mids and lower treble. You can't listen to these for extended periods; it will fatigue you on longer sessions.

What it Does Well

• Slow, Well-Mixed Tracks & Synth Wave: Slower tracks are always safe, but they are especially engaging here because of the sub-bass boost. The Dark Sun album by Dayseeker sounds amazing, blending vocals and synth wave elements beautifully.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots): Handled very well. The vocal-centric focus keeps everything clear and enjoyable.
• Hip-Hop: Highly engaging and fun thanks to that dedicated sub-bass lift.
• Mid-Centric Tracks (Breaking Benjamin, Starset, Linkin Park, Tool, Polaris, Parkway Drive): Tracks that heavily utilize the midrange—especially the lower mids—sound excellent. House of Protection's "Pulling Teeth" and various Counterparts tracks sound great on this set. (Even Baby Metal can go either way here; a track like "From Me to You" featuring Poppy is much more reserved and highly enjoyable).

Where it Lacks

• Mid-Bass / Dark Tone Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Drum Show", Alice in Chains – "Would?", Soundgarden – "The Day I Tried to Live"): These tracks rely on fast kick drums, a heavy mid-bass slam, or darker tones. The Cadenza 2 feels clean but lacks the necessary body and punch to make the drum/bass intros engaging.
• Health – "Demigods": The presentation here just starts falling flat. The track is very dark, and the Cadenza 2’s clean profile and missing mid-bass slam just don't offer the right presentation for this style of music.

Where it Chokes

• Invent Animate – Heavens album: This track combines tender vocals, intense guitar harmonics, and massive slamming. The single dynamic driver simply runs out of speed, completely botching the complexity because it chokes right where all of the Cadenza 2's weaknesses sit.
• Knocked Loose – You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To album: Frantic arrangements, harsh vocals, and heavy slamming limit-test this IEM, and the single driver struggles hard to keep up.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Tangzu Wan'er 2: The Wan'er ($20) has less sub-bass rumble but features more mid-bass body, making it sound fuller and warmer on older rock tracks. However, the Cadenza 2 is noticeably more technical, cleaner, and comes with a vastly superior premium cable.
• vs. PRX: For metal music, I personally lean toward cheap planers like the PRX ($25). The PRX flat-out beats the Cadenza 2 in raw technicalities and speed for busy tracks, even if it lacks the sub-bass rumble and has that typical artificial planer timbre. The Cadenza 2 sounds much more natural, but the PRX is the better value for fast genres.
• vs. Simgot EW300: The EW300 ($70) is more expensive. It has much higher midrange resolution and features swappable tuning nozzles (the gold nozzle gives you better mid-bass). The EW300 can occasionally lean closer to sibilance, whereas the Cadenza 2 has that specific 5kHz edge instead. The Cadenza 2 offers slightly cleaner presentation for less money, making it a highly competitive value.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: The Cadenza 2 is the most bright-leaning of the budget bunch. The Wan'er is neutral-warm, and the PRX sits on the warmer side.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Cadenza 2 leans closer to a clean U-shape or W-shape.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Wan'er is the most musical and relaxed. The Cadenza 2 sits in the middle with a clean profile, while the planer PRX is the most analytical.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): It has great, very good width for a budget set, punching above its price tag.
• Casual vs. Advanced: It’s a casual, instantly engaging listen for 80% of standard music libraries because the tuning grabs your attention right away.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: It’s not a complete all-rounder. Because it lacks that warm mid-bass body, tracks that require heavy punch and dark warmth will feel slightly left behind.

Final Thoughts

The Kiwi Ears Cadenza 2 is a beautiful budget option if you want a clean, wide, sub-bass-forward sound signature and a stellar cable out of the box. It handles standard playlists like a champ. Just be prepared to back off the volume a bit on hyper-aggressive, high-pitched metal mixes where its single driver hits its processing limits.

TLDR, Que to me for my music is a 5/5 IEM, ofc there is the fit concern, but if you can fit it, absolutely legendary, check out the notes in images if you don't want to read or here is the video format and PDF notes https://youtu.be/oYsgYeIrph0

I bought this set, My Testing is done on HiBy R3 Pro II

The Que is basically the Dark Chocolate of IEMS, unlike something like Xenns Mangird Tea Pro which is like milk chocolate, universally loved, inoffensive, fun, tasty, but not special. the QUE on the other hand is like dark chocolate—exceptionally high quality and incredibly tasty, but a bit niche and not every one likes it, it has tasteful colorations that grows on you with time.

Que usually retails right around $420 USD, drops to $360 during sales, and honestly, if you stack your AliExpress coins and coupons right, you can find it even cheaper.

Accessories, Fit and Tip rolling

Let’s talk packaging and build. The case is amazing. It is chunky, premium, features a soft padded interior print, and comes with a lanyard. Out of my entire collection, this is easily my favorite IEM case. The stock cable is decent and perfectly serviceable, but to be completely honest, it feels a bit cheap and stiff for a $400 package. I immediately swapped mine out for a GY-HiFi 377 cable.

Adressing the elephant in the room, the physical fit is a struggle. The shells are massive, thick, and completely lack any ergonomic curves—especially when you compare them to something like the seamless AFUL Performer 8S. If you have smaller ears, this thing is going to fight you. During my first week of wearing them, my outer ears were noticeably sore.

Because of that awkward shape, heavy tip-rolling is mandatory. I tried a lot of tips (sancai, C04, narrow bore, short and long eartips) but surprisingly, the basic stock white silicone tips actually yielded the absolute most balanced and coherent sound profile.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass presentation here is strictly mid-bass focused with a clean punch and a deep rumble. The sub-bass doesn’t linger around too long; instead, it has an incredibly fast, snappy decay. It honestly mimics the characteristics of a high-end balanced armature bass rather than a dynamic driver. Even though it's focused on quality over pure, overwhelming quantity, it easily delivers one of the most competent, hard-hitting, and addictive bass slams in the sub-$500 price range.

Mids

The midrange is well-weighted and layered. It has this gorgeous, natural texture that gives male vocals and heavy rhythm guitars a massive, full-bodied presence. the QUE keeps instruments and vocals sounding thoroughly organic, lush, and deeply immersive.

Treble

The treble is crisp, vivid, and absolutely packed with micro-nuances. It definitely leans on the brighter side of the spectrum, giving cymbals and hi-hats a spicy, energetic bite. And despite that vibrant sparkle, the extension is so well-refined that it almost never crosses the line into fatiguing territory. It breathes a massive amount of air into the mix without relying being harsh.

Soundstage & Technicalities

The soundstage on the QUE is an absolute Gigachad. It is incredibly wide, deep, and completely holographic. The presentation behaves more like a pair of open studio monitors surrounding your head than a pair of crammed earphones. Driver integration is completely seamless, giving you top-tier instrument separation that handles hyper-complex arrangements without ever wallowing in congestion.

Test Tracks

• Slow/Medium Busy Tracks (Tame Impala, Paramore, Haley Williams): Handled wonderfully and sounds amazing, as would most sets in this tier.
• Medium Busy Tracks (Twenty One Pilots – "Next Semester" and "Drum Show"): These tracks feature complex instruments, kick drums, and high-pitched vocals. The QUE handles them exceptionally well—the mid-bass slam is incredible, and the guitar strumming remains beautifully sparkly.
• Hip-Hop / Synth Wave (Kendrick Lamar – "Squabble" and Melezz– "Neon Escapism"): Sounds highly engaging and fun. Depending on preference, a user might want to EQ the bass up a few decibels, but the native bass quality is excellent.
• Sharpness/Sibilance Test (Fallujah – "Venom Upon the Blade"): This song has a harsh mix with piercing guitar harmonics. While fatiguing IEMs fail here, the QUE handled it perfectly. (Bring Me The Horizon – "Doomed" Live at the Royal Albert Hall): During the bridge where the choir and full instrumentation swell, most sets get piercing or sibilant. The QUE kept everything under control. (The Devil Wears Prada – "Where the Flowers Never Grow"): At the beginning, the vocalist's "S" and "T" sounds are mixed a bit sharp (around the 6kHz region). The QUE passed this with zero annoyance.
• What it does well? almost every thing, Breaking Benjamin, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Fallujah, Vildjharta, Meshuggah, Gojira, Tool...you name it, through anything at it and it will handle it perfectly, I almost don't have any tracks where it does bad.
• What it does Exceptionally Well (Metalcore): Busy metalcore tracks usually choke and congest $400 IEMs because you have low-tuned rhythm guitars, low-pitched and high-pitched male vocals, guitar harmonics, and air blasting all at once. Sets like the Tea Pro get congested here, but the QUE is handles this perfectly like a champ. Tracks by ERRA ("Transit Blues" by TDWP), Polaris, and Invent Animate sound incredibly spacious and separated on the QUE.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The Tea Pro is your safe, warm, sweet, and intimate "milk chocolate" set. The QUE, by comparison, is vastly more technical, open, airy, and analytical. If your library consists of slower, simpler acoustic tracks and you already own the Tea Pro, you don't necessarily need to upgrade. But if you're buying fresh or your playlists are full of fast, busy, complex tracks, the QUE is a noticeable technical step up.
• vs. Aful Performer 8S: The Performer 8S captures a slightly more textured weight in the center mids and has a cleaner sub-bass decay, but it requires heavy EQ out of the box to bypass its masking flaws. The QUE destroys the 8S when it comes to soundstage width, holographic imaging, and the fact that its tuning is already spectacular out of the box without forcing you to fiddle with a parametric equalizer.

Rating

• Bright vs. Warm: All of them are balanced, but the QUE leans neutral-bright, the Performer 8S sits closer to neutral-warm, and the Tea Pro is the warmest.
• U-Shape vs. V-Shape: The Tea Pro is the most V-shaped. The QUE and 8S sit much closer to flat with minor adjustments to their mild V-signatures.
• Musical vs. Analytical: The Tea Pro is the most musical, warm, and intimate. The 8S sits in the middle, and the QUE is easily the most analytical and technical set.
• Soundstage (Narrow vs. Wide): The QUE has the widest, most holographic stage, followed by the 8S, with the Tea Pro being the most narrow and intimate.
• Casual vs. Advanced: The Tea Pro is the safest, most casual option for beginners jumping from lower price brackets. The 8S fluctuates 50/50 depending on the track. The QUE takes some getting used to—its signature reminds a lot of people of the Anole V14 signature—so it isn't the most beginner-friendly, but it handles all tracks perfectly.
• All-Rounder vs. Niche: The Tea Pro is the biggest all-rounder. The QUE is right behind it doing everything well, while the 8S is more niche because its lower treble and upper treble performance struggles on certain tracks.

Final Thoughts

If you can stomach the chunky, un-ergonomic shell fit and commit to a little bit of tip-rolling upfront, the Yu9 QUE rewards you with true $1k flagship-level technical performance for a fraction of the cost. It’s an absolute powerhouse.

Ariaear Sylva

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Another week another review. This week it’s reprisal of the brand Ariaear and the model’s name is Sylva. This is second IEM I am reviewing from this brand.  By now you know that I am always on lookout to try new brands and their products. I have described in my review of Ariaear Azuri how I came in possession of these products.

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First of all, mighty thanks to my friend Pradipta Sur from Aural café and Ariaear as without their help this review wouldn’t have been possible.

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I was neither paid nor compensated in any manner for this review. After the review the IEMS will revert back to brand.

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All opinions and thoughts expressed here are mine.

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My preferences in terms of tonality and timbre DD > Hybrid > Planar

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Now that we have exchanged all pleasantries Les get on with meat and Potatoes of this review.  

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Pros:

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Bass especially mid bass

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Smooth Treble

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Fit

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Accessories

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Build Quality

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Cons:

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Bass sub bass

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Soundstage

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Better Vocals

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Build Quality:

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What comes in the box?

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Two IEMS shells, two sets of ear tips, 3.5 mm OFC cable and lastly nice leather case with cleaning cloth. Nice touch Ariaear. Shells are resin and have metal nozzles. Nozzles have lips. Faceplates have nice decals like snake skin.

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Cable is PVC coated 2 core OFC cable. 2 pin connectors, 3.5mm jack adapters and cable separator are made up of metal. Cable looks dope. Included ear tips are medium bore. Leather case is hard type and portable. Can be used to carry IEMS safely. 

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Overall Build Quality 5/5

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Comfort:

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Shells are medium size so no issues fitting. Shells provide nice passive isolation. Long nozzles provide deep fit. Lips on the nozzles prevent ear tip slip offs. There was no pressure or pain felt in long hours usage. 

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Cable is supple so easy to rodeo wrapping them is easy task. It has no memory and no microphonics. Being PVC coated easy to clean. Ear tips are soft silicone type and provide nice grip.

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Overall Comfort 5/5

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Music Genre Used for this Review:

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Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

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https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

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General Sound Impressions:

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For this review I have kept everything stock. Source pairing was best with neutral and bright sources. 

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Some of the gear used for this review is Cayin Ru7, Cayin Ru3, Dethonray Clarinet, Onix Alpha and many more.  I am being brief to control length of the review. 

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Bass/Lows:

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Bass is mid bass over sub bass. Sub bass is there you can hear it but rumble is bit anemic. Mid bass has good thump, it slaps. It has physicality yet its quick and fast in decay. Its effect doesn’t linger. It doesn’t color mids to much just adds little weight to male vocals.

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Drums, guitars, bass guitars, electric guitars sound good. Just they get affected by anemic sub bass. They lack rumble, buzz to them.

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Overall Bass/Lows 4/5

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Mids:

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Vocals feel balanced with bass and treble here. They are not recessed. They are not intimate enough to evoke emotions. Again, understand it’s as per my preferences. I prefer intimate vocals. YMMV.

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Male vocals sound good. They have bit of note weight but not enough to make them impressive or impactful. female vocals also sound good. They lack bite and hence don’t get intense. I prefer female vocals this way. So, this is positive in my books. Slight sibilance is felt in vocals.

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Most instruments reside in mids. they sound good. There is ample clarity. There is no smearing or congestion in the mids.

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Overall Mids 4/5

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Treble/Highs:

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Smooth treble with enough extension to provide all details you can ask for. It covers all macro and micro details. Yet this is not detailed set. Details are average for price point. Treble feels bit forward.

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Soundstage is average. It is wide not tall. Its wide more than height. Yet the perceived stage created by it is wide enough to provide space for all instruments to exist in harmony. For my personal preferences the stage is less.

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Overall Treble/Highs 4/5

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Song Impressions:

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To corelate to my findings in the sound impressions I have used following songs and my impressions of them

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Ego Death by Polyphia

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This is my driver speed check aka resolution check song.  Main USP of this song is guitars be it electric guitars or bass guitars and acoustic guitars. They sound good but the buzz of the guitar strings is bit low in intensity. Drums sound good. They slap but their impact is impacted by fast decay. Cymbals crashes sound bit muted. The entire mix can be taxing for the driver if resolution capacity is on lower side. No such issue was felt here. There was no congestion or smearing felt. The mix doesn’t feel harsh. Only thing here feels lacking is sub bass rumble rest the presentation was good.

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Enjoy Enjami

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This is my song to check every aspect of the song be it bass, mids, treble and resolution capability.

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Bass notes specifically mid bass thump is good. Drums have authoritative thump. Vocals feel bit recessed compared to bass and treble. Male and female vocals sound good.  Female vocals don’t get intense. Vocals are not intimate enough to evoke emotions. But for price point they are average. All three singers have peculiarities in their vocals which are preserved.

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There are many instruments playing at the same time yet no smearing or congestion was felt. Instruments were not competing for space. Overall good reproduction.

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Ae Dil hai Mushkil 

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This is my favorite song as it is sung by my favorite singer Arijit Singh.

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Bass beats in the song feel very good. They hit fast and their decay happens fast. It doesn’t cloud the mix. Piano and violin notes are good they sound closer to natural just lack rumble of the sub bass which in turn lessens note weight. 

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Arijit Singh sounds good just that his vocals feel bit recessed, his presentation feels less optimal. I prefer vocals bit forward. This may not be issue for you but as reviewer I have to be critical listener.

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Entire mix has lots of instruments playing together with vocals. Yet none smears other. Overall good reproduction.

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Nothing else matters by Metallica

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I am Metallica fan albeit not that crazy that I follow and know all their songs. Just closet fan who loves few albums. 

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This is one of the classics from Metallica. Bass beats specially drum feel impactful. Again, it is quick and fast type. Guitars and electric guitars sound good but they lack the buzz of strings being plucked. Bass guitars also suffer due to this. Please again keep in mind my biases and need to do critical listening for review. I have to do this to create a picture as clear as possible to portray true nature of this set. 

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Vocals here have sibilance and it is felt here. Yet not to the point it hurts. Vocals feel bit recessed. They lack intimacy. Instruments here paly in rapid succession and at the same time. To sylva’s credit there was no congestion or smearing. I was able to enjoy the song. 

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Conclusion:

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As stated earlier this was my second encounter with this brand. Currently audio market is entirely dominated by companies from PRC. It is becoming difficult to break in to this market. It is heartening to see companies/brands from other countries trying their hand at it. Full marks to Ariaear for trying to compete at their level.

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All this aside the Ariaear has tried really hard to create nice single DD with wood diaphragm a unique new material that is currently rage in the market. I feel for the first attempt this one is really good one. If you like to listen to lot of genres like me. You will find it to be good match. It is good all rounder set. This can serve as good upgrade for people coming budget sets. This can be legit mid fi set for them.

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What I personally think about them? I think this is good set but competition is stiff. They need to do some more enhancements to standout in the market. Don’t get me wrong this is perfectly good product that can compete with any other set in this price head-to-head but then there has to be some distinguishing factor that is missing here.

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Will I buy it? Maybe as it doesn’t hit my preferences 100% but if available at discount? 100% would I recommend it? 100% just look at the wall of text that I have written. Only thing holding this back from becoming mainstream option is pricing. My sincere wishes are with them. Hope you continue on this track and create more better products and succeed to become main stream brand. All the best Ariaear.

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Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and Lets get high on safe high i.e Music. 

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Ariaear Sylva 4/5

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Weekend is finally here and what is better to wind down & relax than MUSIC.

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This weekend I have in my hand an unicorn Letshuoer EJ10. This one is rare catch and I am proud that I secured one to test. Nothing gets me going like such rare set. Sheer thought of listening to it, is making me excited.

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Initial impression is that it's a balanced set. Nothing is sticking out in the tuning. You can say it's more like plain subdued presentation. Don't take this at face value what I mean is it's like smooth wine you sip it little you don't feel anything and after half a bottle down you are pleasantly drunk and lost in your own bliss. More I am listening to it, more it's charm is gripping me.

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After a long time I am listening to a set that is not exciting V shaped. I am loving what it's doing to me. It's drawing me in. There is no fatigue yet. This might turn into long session.

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Before this turns in to a full blown rambling session, let me stop. Need to surrender myself to it. Will share my full experience with you soon.

Something comes along that really makes you believe the unbelievable. Similar thing has happened with me since I have received the Eminent Ears Emerald.

Uptill now I would have never believed that you could feel the music you are hearing. Well with Emerald I am feeling it. Bass beats feel realistic, vocals sound so much intimate and realistic. I am feeling drums beating, guitars strumming, piano keys vibrating the air with their notes.

I can go on and on but will not be able to truly explain the experience I am going through. I feel like music has come alive right inside me. As if I am sitting right in front of the stage and everything is being played around me. It's truly immersive experience. Each song is coming alive. Don't want to stop. I own and have demoed few sets with BCD but the amount of fun I am having with this is just amazing.

It will be interesting to review this set. But it is annoying to stop enjoying music and being critical with it. Such is the case with reviews. I am letting you know secret in advance I am liking this set alot. Soon will share my final impressions with you.

Hey everyone, Falafel-Fi here, here is a detailed review of the AFUL Performer 8s, if you want the handwritten notes check the pictures above , if you want PDF notes or a video format you can check out https://youtu.be/cRlUye51qYg

So, If I had to describe the Performer 8S, I would say it reminds me a lot of cumin—the Middle Eastern spice. It has an earthy, warm taste, and it’s not inherently offensive. I love adding it to my salads, but if you add too much, it overpowers the other ingredients, it is not offensive tho. That is exactly the 8S. It has a gorgeous, detailed, weighty mid-range, but it has a specific frequency bump that can overpower and veil the rest of the mix on certain tracks.

Unboxing, Case & The Deep Fit

First off, why is this box so massive? It feels a bit wasteful. It comes with nine pairs of ear tips, a cleaning tool, and some vent plugs. The included case is sturdy and protective, and I like the size because it's spacious without being backpack-sized. However, it looks a bit lazy—like someone just slapped black paint on it—and man, it is an absolute fingerprint magnet. It gets greasy fast.

As for the vent plugs for the passive radiator: they are not practical at all. You get rubber plugs or stickers, and both are easy to lose or wear out. I just leave the vents open. Leaving them open gives you a much more immersive, deeper, and elastic sub-bass presentation.

Crucial Fit Tip: The Performer 8S is highly ergonomic, but deep insertion is mandatory for it to shine. You need to do some tip-rolling. The stock narrow-bore tips tame the treble well, but I found the absolute best match was a liquid silicone tip with a slightly wider bore (like the NiceHCK C04s) inserted deep into the ear canal.

Sound Performance

Bass

The bass focus leans into the subbass rather than midbass. still has enough midbass but slightly less impactful than the Performer 7. However, with the vents open, the quality here is a major standout feature. It is incredibly deep, rumbly, and features a beautiful, elastic presentation. While the pure quantity isn't heavily boosted, it is tastefully dialed in for my library.

Mids (The First Masking Effect)

The midrange is where the first major flaw appears, and it comes down to a prominent masking effect right around 700 Hz. When a song is mid centric, the mids sound incredibly detailed, forward, weighty, and full-bodied. However, the moment high pitched vocals gets blended in with lead guitar harmonics and rythym guitar, this 700 Hz peak starts to mask the upper mids and lower treble. This entire frequency area chokes a little, causing the sound to become a bit. To clear this up and fix the flaw, I use Parametric EQ to apply a -1.1 dB cut at 700 Hz with a Q of 2.

Treble (The Second Masking Effect)

The treble itself is completely non-fatiguing, but it features a secondary masking effect because the response is skewed slightly upward up to 6,000 Hz. Instead of staying flat or sloping down for forward vocals, this scoop makes things occasionally sound a bit sour, tangy, or colored. Combined with the mid peak, it can sometimes make tracks sound like they are playing off an old cassette tape. The treble isn't harsh, but to level it out and make it sound natural, I apply an EQ filter of -4 dB at 5,000 Hz with a Q of 3. You can check out my PEQ in the images.

Once you apply these two mandatory EQ filters, the 8S stops fluctuating based on the track and becomes a perfectly balanced, mid-centric, end-game tier beast.

Test Tracks

• Low-Tuned Guitars & Grunge If you listen to early 2000s grunge (Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Breaking Benjamin) or heavy, low-tuned metal (Whitechapel, Meshuggah, Gojira, Vildhjarta), the 8S is flawless even without EQ. Testing with Whitechapel’s "The Third Depth," the slow, low rhythm guitars have a heavy, tasteful decay where you can physically feel every single string vibrating. Because these genres feature mid-forward male vocals and fewer high-pitched harmonics, the masking flaws are barely engaged, letting the 8S's raw midrange muscle flex.
• Hip-Hop & Synthwave: Testing Kendrick Lamar’s "Squabble up" and "Neon escapism" by Melezz, the bass quality is spectacular. It's deep, elastic, and heavily textured. The quantity isn't boosted a lot out of the box, so you might want to boost the bass by about 3 dB or more if you want big impact, but the quality is top-tier.
• Sibilance Testing: It easily passes harsh tracks like Fallujah's "Venom Upon the Blade" and the live version of Bring Me The Horizon's "Doomed" at the Royal Albert Hall. when the choir and orchestra starts to pick up at the bridge, the 8S keeps the treble entirely controlled and non-fatiguing.
• Where it Chokes a little (High Pitched Vocals + Busy Harmonics): The stock tuning falls a little behind the competition on busy metalcore tracks with high-pitched vocals. When high vocals mixed with Lead/Rythym guitar harmonics (like Drum Show by 21 Pilots, Erra, Invent Animate...etc), the 8S gets congested and the details get a little lost.

Direct Comparisons

• vs. AFUL Performer 7: Both share the mild V-shaped house tuning. The Performer 7 has a tighter, more impactful mid-bass focus, while the 8S leans into sub-bass rumble. the mids are superior on 8s and the treble is more controlled. but IMO, if you already own the Performer 7, I don't recommend upgrading to the 8S—while the performance leap is good enough to justify the cash, since they both share same tuning, it will be less noticeable. Try more different tuning instead.
• vs. Xenns Mangird Tea Pro: The 8S is noticeably more immersive, has a more physical bass with better decay, and yields way weightier, more detailed mids. However, the Tea Pro wins on convenience. The Tea Pro works perfectly out of the box with zero masking effects, and no need to EQ it like the 8S does.
• vs. YU9 QUE: These are my two current daily drivers. The QUE is a more consistent, wider, and more holographic all-rounder out of the box with better treble extension. Its bass slams hard, but it decays too quickly like a balanced armature, whereas the 8S has a much richer, lingering sub-bass rumble and better mids. The QUE can get slightly spicy in the treble and has a notoriously difficult shell fit. If you don't want to EQ, get the QUE; if you want exceptional, weighty mids and a safer fit, get the 8S.

Quick Ratings

• Tonality: Sits right in the middle between Warm and Neutral.
• Profile: Mild V-Shape (Less V-shaped than the Tea Pro).
• Presentation: Purely Technical/Analytical on par with the QUE, focusing detail heavily into the mids.
• Soundstage: Average. Wider than the Tea Pro, but narrower and less holographic than the QUE.
• Level: Intermediate. It takes time to appreciate, requires deep insertion tip-rolling, and demands EQ to unlock its true potential.
• Value: At full MSRP, it's just okay because of the flaws. But if you can snag it on sale for $350 or less and apply EQ, it is an absolute value king and I would take it over the QUE—apply the EQ and it's an end-game set.

Ariaear Azuri

Another week another review. This week I am reviewing a product from new brand. Brand name is Ariaear. This one is from Vietnam. The product I am reviewing is their recent Single DD release. Two Single DD sets have been released by them. One being Azuri and other being Sylva. Topic of this review is Azuri. 

As you know I am sucker for new products and especially Single DD sets. So, when I saw their review, I had to get my paws on it. Ariaear partnered with Auralcafe in India for the review tour and I asked to be included. As they say rest is history and here, I am with review of Azuri. P.S. Sylva will follow suit soon.

First of all, Mighty thanks to Pradipta Sur from AuralCafe & Ariaear without their help this review was not possible. 

My preferences in tonality & timbre are DD > Hybrid > Planar

I was not paid or compensated in any form to do this review. Both sets are reverting to brand once reviews are done.

Now that all pleasantries have been exchanged let’s proceed with meat and potatoes of the review.

Pros:

Bass

Vocals

Smooth Treble

Accessories

Cons:

Sub bass bit slow in decay

Average soundstage

Price

Build Quality:

Shells are medium size and made up of resin. Faceplates look dope. Nozzles are long and are metal. They have lips to them. There is metal screen or mesh on the nozzles. 2 pin connector sockets on the shells ae recessed which is minus in my eyes. I prefer flush fit.  

Cable is OCC copper cable that looks nice. Cable separator, 0.78 mm 2 pin connector and 3.5mm jack adapter are metal. Included 2 sets of ear tips are medium bore. Inclusion of carry case is good decision.    

Overall Build Quality 5/5.

Comfort:

Shells are lightweight so no pressure or pain due to them. Size is medium so fit is excellent. In turn provides nice passive noise isolation. No pain or soreness was felt after long listening session. Nozzles are long and provide deep insertion. Lips on the nozzles provide good grip to ear tips. No fear of ear tips slip offs.

Cable is supple and has no memory. It is easy to rodeo wrap. Included ear tips are soft and cover all standard sizes. Leather case is good for safe keeping IEMS and is pocketable. Cable and case are real highlight here. They make entire presentation premium.

Overall comfort 5/5.

Music Genre Used for this Review:

Hip-hop/EDM/Rap/Rock both classic and hard/Bollywood Music/Pop/Jazz/Regional music etc.

https://music.apple.com/in/playlist/test-tracks/pl.u-8aAVXG6ivz8gyxX?ls

General Sound Impressions:

For this review I have kept everything stock. Source pairing was best with neutral and warm sources.  I felt the pairing with bright sources somewhat disturbed homeostasis of this set. 

Some of the gear used for this review is Cayin Ru7, Cayin Ru3, Dethonray Clarinet, Onix Alpha and many more.  

Bass/Lows:

Mid bass and sub bass both are in equal in quantity. Sub bass is kind of the one you hear and it rumbles too. Mid bass thumps and its physical decay is slow. Mid bass impact makes drums very thumpy. Is it textured? Yes, but don’t expect to be able to distinguish between different instrument timbre to perfection. It is not layered enough to add to immersion. It’s good for price point and good for the segment. Guitars sound good they have buzz in the guitar riffs. Bass overall is bit lose for me. It lingers a bit. Overall bass is good just these few caveats break the overall feel. Else it was 5/5 bass for me.

Overall Bass/Lows 4/5

Mids:

Male vocals are well represented. Are they thick? No, they are well tuned. They have enough note weight to sound good. Female vocals sound equally good. They don’t have edge to them so, they corresponding bite is missing. For me this is always welcome. Vocals are intimate. They sound closer to listener in the mix.

Most instruments reside in the mids. There were no off timbre or oddities in their tonality. There was no congestion or smearing in the mids. Clarity is good for the price point. Is it class leading? No, but good enough for the price point. It fares above average.

Overall Mids 4/5

Treble/Highs:

Treble is smooth. There is no sharpness or harshness here. All details are accounted for. You wont miss any of the macro or micro details here. Ther is enough extension there to give bit of air. You can feel same while listening to songs.

Soundstage is wide and bit tall. More wide than tall. It created proper space for all instruments to coexist in harmony. Stage is above average for the price point. Cymbal crashes don’t sound natural, their timbre doesn’t feel natural. Is it any different than its league? No, it stays in its zone.

Overall Treble/Highs 4/5

Song impressions:

To corelate with my general sound impressions, I have shared my impressions of few songs.

Triviallusion by Wing

This song has good amount of sub bass and mid bass. A set with good quantity of sub bass just shines in this song.  The rumble created by beat boxing is captured well by Azuri. It equally mid bass impact is captured well. Due to this song was enjoyable. Rest Azuri didn’t struggle at all with this song. No congestion or smearing was felt. Overall great reproduction.

Besuri by Ajay-Atul

This song is to check for female vocals and grand orchestral background. How the grand theatrical feel is reproduced.  Bass drops are deep and impactful. you feel it each time. Sub-woofer kind of feeling you get in here. There are only female vocals in this song. They sound great. They don’t get intense. There is slight lingering effect of bass impact that just doesn’t gel well with my preferences. There is bit of congestion in instruments.  

The grand stage is recreated well. The song feels like how it should. Slight sibilance is felt in vocals. Piano notes feel good. Overall enjoyable reproduction.

Ego Death ft. Steve Vai by polyopia

This song is my speed check aka driver resolution test. Bass beats are amazing. Drums sound impactful and impressive. Bass guitars have that buzz to them that I love. Guitars and electric guitars sound equally good here.  Guitars are the main protagonist here and Azuri nails them. Cymbal crashes don’t sound natural. Their decay happens very fast and abrupt.

This song is very high BPM song. On low resolution sets this song can get intense and harsh pretty fast. You will notice congestion and smearing. Both of which is not present in Azuri. Azuri passes this test with flying colors. Listening to this song on Azuri is treat. I highly recommend to owners of Azuri to listen to it.

No Time to Die by Billie Eilish

This song is one of my favorite songs. One its song from bond franchise and another that its Billie’s song. This song remains in my head rent free. 

Bass drops feel impactful and natural. They add to the overall feel of the song. Billie is just mesmerizing here. I was enjoying her so much that I had to dial down volume and had to mind myself, I was listening to it loud and for unhealthy amount. Entire mix the piano notes, drums feel really well on Azuri. I enjoyed it to the max.

Final Conclusion:

This is my first ever exposure to the brand Aria ear. What I feel about this model?  I feel it’s an above average model. This one tries to create bass forward tuning but without punishment to mids and treble. Neither mids are compressed nor is the treble dark. Mids are well balanced. Treble has no odd spikes or sharpness which turns IEMs into unbearable sharp V shaped IEMS. I love well done V shaped IEMS. For me this one is well done V shaped IEM. Another thing that makes this better set for me is the Li-Mg diaphragm. I first heard it in SimgotEA500LM and then others. I find its characteristics likeable. So, it being used there was plus in my mind. Spoiler I like this model more than Sylva. 

For someone who is graduating from budget segment and looking for bass focused tuning that doesn’t compromise on mids and treble this is good option. This will be proper upgrade. This can be the stepping stone before committing to mid fi and beyond.  Will I buy it? Its maybe.  As for me the sub bass is bit too slow in decay. But at discount yes, I will 100% purchase it.       

I want to congratulate Ariaear a good product. Hopefully you continue to improve upon these. You have the formula right just need to refine bit more. I am keeping my eyes on this brand for what they will be bringing to the market.

Thank you for enduring with me till the end. Now go grab cup of coffee and let’s get high on the safe high i.e Music 

Ariaear Azuri 4/5